GOP: Ruling an Obamacare ‘repudiation’

Congressional Republicans on Tuesday praised the federal appeals court decision limited subsidies for the Affordable Care Act, calling it further evidence that Obamacare is unconstitutional and wrong for America.

Text Size

-

+

reset

“The D.C. Circuit’s decision today in Halbig v. Burwell is a repudiation of Obamacare and all the lawlessness that has come with it,” the Texas Republican said in a statement.

“This decision restores power to Congress and to the people and if properly enforced, should shield citizens from Obamacare’s insidious penalties, mandates, and subsidies,” he continued. “This is a significant victory for the American people and the rule of law, but we must not rest.”

Cruz also accused the administration of executive overreach by trying to administer subsidies in the states.

The 2-1 ruling could be a major blow for President Barack Obama and his signature health care law. The D.C. court ruled that the federal government could not subsidize premiums under the law for those living in states that had not established a state exchange. The ruling would ensure that millions of Americans enrolling in the federal HealthCare.gov cannot receive subsidies to help them pay for insurance.

The administration can ask the full appeals panel to consider the case or appeal to the Supreme Court.

Cruz, a first-term senator and potential 2016 presidential candidate, has been harshly critical of Obamacare. Many on both the right and left have called him the leader of the push to shut down the government in October 2013 given his hard line about defunding the health law.

House Speaker John Boehner said the decision shows again that Obamacare is unworkable and presents a necessity for Congress to repeal and replace it.

“Today’s ruling is also further proof that President Obama’s health care law is completely unworkable. It cannot be fixed,” the speaker said. ”The American people recognize that Obamacare is hurting our economy and making it harder for small businesses to hire, and that’s why Republicans remain committed to repealing the law and replacing it with solutions that will lower health care costs and protect American jobs.”

Senate Finance Committee ranking member Orrin Hatch in a statement said the ruling affirms that the administration violated its own law by trying to provide subsidies through the federal exchange.

“Today’s decision rightly holds the Obama administration accountable to the law,” the Utah Republican wrote in a statement. “The plain text of Obamacare authorizes subsidies only through state exchanges, not the federal exchange. As it has on so many occasions, the Obama administration simply ignored the law and implemented its own policy instead.”

The Senate Republican Conference also cheered the ruling, saying on Twitter: “ObamaCare is a fundamentally flawed law that continues to unravel with each passing day.”